Harvesting machine



F. SCHULZE.

HARVESTlNG MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED nsclzo, I913.

1 &3 1,380, Patented. 00510, 1922.

- Friedrich A TraRA/E 56.

Patented Uct. 1Q, 1922.

FRIEDRICH SCHULZE, OF OTTERSBECK,GERMANY.

HARVESTING MACHINE.

Application filed December 20, 1913. Serial No. 807,883.

T 0 all w ham it may concern Be it known that I, FRIEDRICH SoHULzE,

a subject of the Emperor of'Germany, residing at Ottersbeck-Allee 1,Hamburg 19,

Germany, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in HarvestingMachines, of which the following is a specific a tion.

This invention relates to harvesting machines for potatoes and the like,and has for its object to provide an improved construction of machine ofthis character which shall be capable of effectively separating thepotatoes or other tubers or bulbs from the sur rounding earth and fromthe plants themselves, the potatoes being left on the surface of theearth for subsequet collection.

The principal feature of the invention consists in the provision of asieve or grate composed of a number of rods or bars, which are curved inboth horizontal and vertical directions and also backward with relationto the direction of rotation, the horizontally curved portions of thebars constituting a receiving and delivering member and the verticallycurved portions thereof a gathering or collecting member. A furtherfeature of the invention consists in the provision of additional curvedarms or rods for the purpose of removing the stalks and foliage of theplant.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, of whichFigure 1 is a view in side elevation of a harvesting machine constructedin accordance with the invention, Figure 2 being a similar View of aportion of the machine shown in Figure 1 and illustrating the action ofthe various elements thereof.

Figure 3 is a plan view of the revolving sieve or grate of theharvesting machine, Figure 4 being a similar view on an enlarged scalebut illustrating a modified construction.

Figure 5 is a diagrammatic sectional view on the line A-B of Figure 4illustrating the arrangement of the curved rods or bars.

Referring now to Figures 1, 2 and 3, the harvesting machine comp-rises asieve or grate composed of a number of curved rods or bars a, arrangedin substantially circular series as shown, one end of each of these rodsbeing secured to a supporting disc 0.

In a preferred construction the rods a are secured in apertures 5 formedin the disc 0, as illustrated in Figure 4.

The upper portions of the rods a adjacent to the disc 0 are directedsubstantially vertically downwards, the remaining portions of the rodsbeing bent at right-angles and curved as shown in the plan view ofFigure 3 and the lower portions of said rods extending horizontallyoutward in a horizontal plane and backward with relation to thedirection of rotation. Of course the inclined arrangement of the shaft 6anddisc 0' hereinafter described presents these lower parts of the rodsin a position inclined from the horizontal. The outer ends of the rodsa; are almost in contact with the underside of a share or earth cutterindicated at f and extend under its upwardly tilted rear end in theirnearest position of rotation, so that the rods a constitute a circularsieve or grate member located underneath the disc 0 and adapted toreceive the mass of earth containing the potato plant and separated bymeans of the share 7. The disc 0 and the sieve or grate member connectedthereto constituted by the rods a, are arranged to be rotated as themachine is drawn along the ground, by means of an inclined shaft 6 uponwhich the disc 0 is mounted and which is connected by bevelled gearingto the wheels of the machine, said inclined shaft and disc being rotatedtogether and having the same inclination and axis. In operation theupper portions of the rods a constitute a gathering or collectingmember, and the lower curved portions a receiving and delivering member.of the lower parts of the rods enables them to slide easily under theearth and potatoes, in turning, without risk of injury.

Secured to the upper portion of the disk 0 are a number of curved armsor rods d which serve to remove the stalk and foliage of the plant, thearms (Z being secured in holes in the disk 0 in a similar manner to therods a. The additional rods (Z are curved upwards and over the edge ofthe disk 0,

so that their free ends only come in contact with the mass of earthremoved by the share f, and during the rotation of the disk 0 to removethe upper portion of the plant to one side. It will be understood thatif desired the additional rods (2 can be secured directly tothe shaft 6.

Referring now to the modified construe tion illustrated in Figures 4 and5, the rods a constituting the rotating sieve or grate are secured inholes Z) in the disk 0 The backward direction' arranged in twoconcentric circles, the rods a being so curved that the surface of thesieve or grate is irregular and corrugated, as shown diagrammatically inFigure 5.

The rotating sieve or grate can be arranged to be driven either directlyfrom the axle of the machine, as illustrated in the drawings, or bymeans of a special motor provided for the purpose, the latterarrangement being preferable in cases in which the harvesting machine isintended to deal with a double row of plants. The power required tooperate the machine is comparatively small, since the potatoes are notrequired to be projected to any considerable distance, and the sieve orgrate can therefore be arranged to rotate slowly.

The improved machine can evidently be employed for harvesting othertuberous o1 bulbous plants than potatoes, and the invention is not to beregarded as limited to the constructional details above described,

which may be modified in order to meet particular conditions withoutexceeding the scope of the invention.

1 claim as my invention:

In combination with an earth cutter, a rotary root-gathering deviceconsisting of a circular series of rods set close together to form agrate, the exterior part of each of said rods being bent downward andalso curved backward from the direction of rotation and the said devicebeing set in a slanting position behind the cutter so that the saidgrate is at a slight angle to the horizontal plane.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

FRIEDRICH SCHULZE.

Witnesses:

ERNEST H. L. MUMMENHOFF, FRANCIS R. STEWART.

Certificate of (Correction.

It is hereby certified that in Letters Patent No. 1,431,330, grantedOctober 10, 1922, upon the application of FIiGtilif'h Schidze, oi?()ttersbeck, Germany, for an improvement in Harvesting h Iuchines, anerror appears; in the printed specification requiring correction asfollows: In the grant and in the heading to the printed specificationthe residence of the putentee was erroneously given as Ottersbeck,Germany, Whereas said residence should have been given as Hamburg,Germany; and that the said Letters Patent should he read With thiscorrection therein that the same may conform to the record of the casein the Patent Ofiioe.

Signed and sealed this12th day of December, A. 1)., 19:22.

[SEAL] KARL FENNING,

Acting Commissioner of Patents.

